


Tobin's Captain Moment

by OsoloNewsDay (TheOtherPerson), screamqueen18



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Post USA vs. Sweden, Sadness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-14
Updated: 2016-08-14
Packaged: 2018-08-08 15:32:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7763293
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOtherPerson/pseuds/OsoloNewsDay, https://archiveofourown.org/users/screamqueen18/pseuds/screamqueen18
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The bus ride back is full of tears until Tobin steps to the plate, doing what the captains cannot.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tobin's Captain Moment

‘No it wasn’t happening.’ That was the thought that kept echoing through their skulls. Hope and Carli had to give postgame interviews, the keeper’s a bit more biting than her teammate’s. The women were devastated plan and simple. They never imagined, in their most wildest dreams, never thought they’d be in this position. They were going home without even having a chance at a medal match. 

It would be humbling. Maybe one day when it didn’t hurt so damn much, but today, tomorrow, and the next day would not be that day.

The bus ride was mercilessly short. This whole trip to Brazil had been one clusterfuck after the next. The people there booed them. They screamed ‘Zika’ every time the best goalkeeper in the world so much as touched the ball. Everyone seemed to be rooting for them to fail, and guess fucking what? They did fail. They failed themselves this time. They had such high hopes and dreams that the fall was suffocating. 

Carli’s throat was dry as the bus came to a halt in the back entrance of their hotel. She knew she needed to say something. Abby would have said something inspiring. Cap would have said something comforting. Even Julie Foudy had words for them now, when she did not. She felt like she could not be their leader, not now that she had failed them so miserably, but she had to try. Jill, their Head Coach, had silent tears running down her face. Dawn hadn’t made eye contact since the locker room. The other coaches looked like they might be sick at any moment. No, she had to stand up. 

Before Carli’s weak knees could lift her up to talk, she was stopped by a voice. Tobin fucking Heath was standing, not Carli’s co-captain. No Becky was crying not so quietly into Alyssa’s shoulder. Everyone held their breath as the woman who was definitely not their leader began to speak. 

“We had a bad day today.” There was a couple snorts mostly from the still pissed off Hope Solo. “But that shouldn’t fucking matter because you want to know something? We were beaten by the sixth ranked team in shootout. If we were Germany, that would be considered not so bad. If we were France, it would have been alright. Unfortunately, we are not. We had everyone gunning for us since the beginning.

“The fact that we even made it this far with people screaming ‘Zika’ at us, is in and of itself an accomplishment. For some of us, maybe even me, this could be the last Olympics.” No one protested. Many were already thinking about their age and the chances of making another 18-person roster. The prospect loomed large over many heads. Injuries, age, and time were all their enemies. 

“I want you all to know that this is the best team I have ever been a part of. I love Portland, yes. I love that I have friends there and a home now, but let’s be honest. Our homes will never be our homes for us because we are each others home. Each one of you carry a little piece of my heart with you, and it isn’t sad we lost for me. It is sad that I now have to let little pieces of my heart go on walk about. I know my heart can never be whole, at least until we meet again. And we will. Not in the next month on a Victory Tour like we hoped, but it will be whole again because I know you love me just as much as I love you. So it won’t be so long for the best family I have ever known to pick itself up and become whole again.

“You did good guys. You did fucking good, and I’m proud of you.”

Everyone was in stunned silence. It no longer felt like they had lost. The weight on their shoulders had lessened as tears of something more than pain poured down every face, even stonecold Hope Solo had thick salty tears rolling down her cheeks. 

The bus was silent. Completely silent until Emily Sonnett couldn’t take the thick cloud of emotions any longer. “Is ‘may we meet again’ a line from the 100?”

Some let out watery chuckles, and Ashlyn made sure to clock the defender in the back of the head for good measure. The group feels lighter than they had, but not everything is totally healed, and Tobin was the reason. 

Carli waited until the Tobin, who had been in the back stood was just out the door, and pulled her into her seating section with her. Christen glanced at them for a moment before continuing to move. The coaching staff were the last to leave. Jill and Dawn both gave them watery nods as they exited the bus, leaving the girls alone.

As soon as the bus was clear of everyone, including the bus driver helping the girls and staff unload a few pieces of equipment. 

Of everything Tobin had expected, it was not Carli throwing herself at her fellow midfielder. Arms wrapping the other in a tight embrace. “Thank you,” the superstar whispered over and over again into her friend’s ear. 

They sat there for a minute, Tobin holding Carli as tears leaked down her face into the younger woman’s hoodie until finally it was time to pull apart. “No, Carli. Thank you. You’re the reason we got this far.”

“You should be the captain,” Lloyd whispered as she angrily wiped away tears from her face.

Tobin grabbed her hands stopping her movement. “They’ll always need you, Carli. You’re the leader I’m not ready to be. We’re a team. Even captains can hurt sometimes so thank you for letting me be here to pick up the ball when I couldn’t on the field today.”

Carli reached for the other women one last time holding her close before pulling apart, realizing it was time she took the reins again. Being a leader meant being a leader in tough times, not only good. She steeled herself, using Tobin’s strength to allow herself to stand again. They would get over this. They were the US Women’s National Team afterall. They could do anything.


End file.
